A Christmas to remember
by slowroad
Summary: It is twelve years after the war. Draco has worked hard to make a place and a name for himself in wizarding society. He's successful and mostly happy. But he's been alone for the last few years...a fact that is getting harder and harder to deal with, particularly around the holidays. But all of that is about to change. Written for the dracoharry100 Christmas Challenge.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This is a series of drabbles, 31 in all, written for the dracoharry100 Christmas Challenge over at LJ. There are thirty one prompts, one for each day in December. So I will be posting one drabble a day. I am going to be writing a single story using all the prompts, but I'm mixing them up and using them in the order that works for the story

**...**

**Disclaimer: **All these wonderful characters belong to J K Rowling. I have merely borrowed them for my amusement and hopefully yours.

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prompt #30: Melancholy

...

Draco sighed as he stood in front of the mirror and buttoned up his robes. December always made him introspective. It was easy enough over the rest of the year to focus on his work and ignore everything else. But December and the coming of the new year made him reflect on his lonesome state and wonder where his life was going. And getting ready to go to Pansy's house and celebrate her fifth wedding anniversary was not helping his mood in any way. Once again he would be alone while the rest of his friends turned up with their husbands or wives, each looking more nauseatingly happy than the other.

They would all look at him and cluck sympathetically and pat him on his back and tell him that he would find someone soon and make him feel as if everything in his life, his hard work and all his achievements somehow didn't count just because he didn't have a partner. He could easily have asked someone to be his date. But at thirty, he was well past the age where he could date someone just so he didn't have to be alone. He would have done anything to avoid this party. Just the thought of it made him feel low. But he knew that it wasn't the party that was making him feel sad. It was the fact that he was so tired of being alone.

But he knew that Pansy would kill him if he didn't show up. So he pulled himself together, put on a smile and stepped through the Floo.


	2. Chapter 2

prompt #31: imbibing a few too many glasses of Christmas spirits.

...

Draco stepped out of the Floo and into the parlour of Pansy's townhouse and found it filled with Christmas decorations as usual. Pansy and Neville had chosen, somewhat unconventionally, to get married on the twentieth of December, so their anniversary was always coloured by Christmas and Pansy made the most of it. She'd always been ridiculously fond of Christmas and winter. In fact, the whole winter wedding had been her idea and Neville had been too besotted with her to object to anything she wanted. Seven years later, he was still besotted.

What surprised Draco though was how much in love with her husband Pansy was. It was obvious that she doted on him. He saw the two of them standing just a few feet away from him as he stood by the fireplace and dusted himself off. They were talking to Theo and Daphne and they looked so very happy. Neville put his arm around his wife and kissed her lightly on her cheek and she smiled up at him with such adoration that he couldn't help but feel a pang of envy...but he tamped it down. He was here to share their happiness not mope about his own loneliness.

So he smiled broadly when Pansy looked up and saw him. He went up to Neville and congratulated him. He mingled, he talked and he smiled. He reached for a drink every time a waiter walked past and he got more and more drunk as the hours went by. And he became more and more gloomy. He decided that he needed to get away for a while. He needed to clear his head. He had somehow got drunk to the point where he had no clear idea what he was saying anymore and he was afraid that he would soon say or do something to embarrass himself, if he hadn't already.

So he went out into the balcony, hoping that he would not be missed. It was cold and it was snowing lightly. But Draco didn't care. His robes were thick wool and his warming charm was more than efficient at keeping the cold at bay. There was a sharp breeze that helped him clear his alcohol addled brain. He leaned over the parapet and stared at the snow covered garden and the street beyond. He had never felt so lonely in his life. And seeing Harry at the party had only served to make him feel worse.

He'd got to know Harry reasonably well over the past few years and he'd grown rather fond of the man. A little too fond, perhaps. But it was obvious that Harry was not interested in him. He was openly gay and he'd always showed up at Pansy's parties with a boyfriend in tow. It was a different man every year, so he clearly hadn't settled down, but it hurt to see him year after year with someone else, while Draco was always alone. And Draco was always alone because for some reason he wanted Harry and only Harry.

He sighed as he reflected on the irony of it all. He'd spent his school years wanting Harry as a friend and resenting him because he'd chosen Weasley instead and now that they had become friends, he was trying to keep his distance because he wanted a lot more than friendship and Harry clearly didn't. Sure Draco hadn't ever shown his own interest, but how could he when Harry was always with someone, even if it was a different someone every time?

Draco groaned as his head began to hurt. He really should not have had so much to drink. All he wanted was to go home, take a bit of hangover potion and go to bed. He was wondering if he should just sneak out into the garden and leave quietly when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. He turned his head and his heart started pounding. He'd successfully avoided Harry all evening, but it seemed his luck had just run out.


	3. Chapter 3

prompt #11: Sharing hot chocolate

...

Harry walked up to him with an unreadable expression on his face. He was levitating a tray in front of him.

"Harry..." Draco said weakly.

"Draco."

"What's this?" Draco said pointing to the tray.

"Hot chocolate."

"Ugh! You expect me to drink that now?"

"No. I expect you to take a swig of this first," Harry said as he drew a vial from his pocket and set it on the tray.

"Hangover potion?"

"Yeah. I noticed that you were drinking rather heavily so I asked Pansy for some."

"How very kind of you," Draco said stiffly.

"How very formal of you," Harry retorted.

"I sorry. I didn't mean..."

"I know. Drink up," Harry said as he reached for Draco's hand and pressed the vial into it.

Draco drank the potion and he instantly began to feel better. His head cleared, his legs stopped feeling wobbly and the world stopped pitching from side to side.

"Thanks," he said and then he blushed as his stomach let out a loud growl.

"I guess you're ready for this now," Harry said as he passed him a cup of steaming hot chocolate with a few marshmallows floating on top.

Draco accepted the cup gratefully and drank it down.

"How long is it since you ate?"

"Not since breakfast," Draco admitted sheepishly.

"Still not taking care of yourself, I see."

Draco's only response was to shrug. They looked at each other intently for a moment.

"What are you doing here?" Draco said.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I had too much to drink and I wanted to clear my head. How come you're here alone? Where's your date?" Draco tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice but he failed miserably.

His tone made Harry look up and look searchingly at him. Draco tried not to let his feelings show on his face, but he wasn't very successful. The hangover potion had rendered him sober but he still didn't have much control over his body or his reactions.

"Chris is not my date. He's just this guy from work that I brought along to introduce to Ginny," Harry said.

"Oh...I just assumed...I guess...because you always have a date. And it is a different bloke every time I see you. Why is that, Harry?" Draco knew that he was treading dangerous ground, but he couldn't stop himself.

Harry flushed a deep red. He looked a bit uncomfortable. "I hate coming to these parties alone. It makes me feel like a failure. So I find a date and one date is usually all it is."

Draco was completely taken aback. "I thought you were sha...I mean in a relationship with..." he trailed off, not knowing how to put his thoughts into words.

"You think I've been shagging all those guys?" Harry sounded incredulous.

"It certainly looked like that."

"My life isn't as exciting as all that, trust me. I've only been in one relationship so far and that ended badly. So I've only been dating since. I haven't been serious about anyone for years."

"Don't you want to be serious?"

"Of course I do. But I haven't found the right man yet. When I do, I'll marry him in a heartbeat."

_He hasn't found the right man yet, _Draco thought bitterly_. I'm standing right here, but he doesn't see me and he never will. _

He sighed. "Go back to the party, Harry. I'm not fit company for anyone right now."

Harry shook his head. "I came here to talk to you and I'm not leaving until I do."

Draco raised his eyebrows. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I want to know why you've been avoiding me," Harry said, coming straight to the point.

"I haven't been avoiding you."

Harry snorted. "You haven't spoken to me all evening. You don't come to games with me anymore. It's been months since we even met up for lunch. What's going on?"

"I've been busy..."

"I see...You're too busy for me."

"Harry, it isn't like that..."

"What is it like, Draco? We're friends. At least I thought we were. I like you and I've missed you and all you can say is that you've been busy? Haven't you missed me at all?" Harry looked and sounded very hurt as he said those words.

Draco almost couldn't bear to look at him. "I've missed you too...so much," he whispered.

"Then why are you doing this?"

Draco didn't know what to say. He didn't know what he could say without revealing his feelings.

"Say something, damn it!"

"I'm sorry," Draco mumbled.

"Sorry is not going to cut it. You hurt me and I want to know why."


	4. Chapter 4

prompt #27: Fireside nap

...

Draco was well and truly stuck. There was nothing he could say that would adequately explain his behaviour. Nothing other than the truth, that is. And he couldn't bear the idea of telling Harry about his feelings for him. He would look so pathetic and Harry would feel sorry for him and...nothing could be worse than having Harry pity him. But if he didn't tell him the truth, Harry would go away thinking that Draco was a selfish bastard and that he hadn't really changed that much after all. And that was definitely worse than having Harry pity him. So he squared his shoulders and began to talk.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise as he listened. Clearly, whatever he had expected, it certainly was not this. Draco flushed with embarrassment as he spoke, standing out on that balcony and trying to avoid looking at Harry.

"I know you only see me as a friend, Harry. I wish I could see you the same way, but I can't and sometimes it hurts to be around you...I'm sorry about everything. Please understand that I don't expect anything from you. I just...I'm sorry."

"Draco, I'm..."

"Please don't say anything. I don't want to hear you say that you're sorry. I can't handle it right now. I've had a miserable day and I need to go home."

Draco turned and quickly made his way down the stairs and into the garden.

"Draco wait!" Harry ran after him. But by the time he made it into the garden Draco was gone.

Harry stood in that garden, watching the softly falling snow, feeling stunned. He had never imagined that Draco would be interested in him. It didn't make any sense. Draco was smart; he was one of the most intelligent people that Harry had ever met. He was suave and polished and ridiculously good looking_ while I'm just me, just Harry. Why would he want me? He of all people has never cared about all that boy who lived crap. But he cares about me. He actually likes me enough to want to be with me and I never noticed. How stupid am I?_

Harry had never thought of Draco in a romantic sense. He found Draco very attractive and he liked him a lot, but he'd never thought of him as anything other than a friend. Draco had been right about that. Harry had a lot of male friends who were just friends. And he'd slotted Draco that category too...probably because he'd known him since they were kids. He'd never considered the possibility of anything more. But now he was considering it...wondering what it would be like to be in a relationship with Draco and he realised that the idea was rather appealing.

But he needed to be sure. So he Apparated home, changed into his pyjamas and lay down on his couch in front of the fireplace. He watched the flames dance and thought about Draco, really thought about the man he'd got to know and come to like...

Harry had long wanted to find someone that he really cared about and settle down. He was sick of all the meaningless dating. He wanted to be in a relationship. He wanted to be in love. He'd been waiting for the right man to come along. Was it possible that Draco was that man? Harry didn't know the answer to that, but he sure as hell wanted to find out.

He was still thinking about that when he fell asleep and the flames continued to dance through the night.


	5. Chapter 5

prompt #21: Alone/lonesome on Yule night

...

It was the evening of the next day...December 21st, the solstice. But more importantly, it was Yule night and Draco sat in the lab at the back of his house, working furiously. It was the only way he could ignore the growing ache in his heart. Yule had always been a very important day for his family. It had been a day of joy and celebration, a day that he used to look forward to as a child. But all that was long gone, as were his parents. Draco hadn't celebrated Yule for over twelve years.

One or the other of his friends always invited him to celebrate with them, but no matter how close to his friends he was, he always felt like an outsider. Yule, like Christmas, is an occasion to celebrate with family and Draco had none. No one that he could think of as truly his. This was what made December such a painful time for him. And as if all this wasn't enough, he now had the additional pain of his confession to Harry to deal with.

He'd been in his lab for hours now, working, testing his spells and writing up the results. Draco was a magical theorist, the best in the field, in fact...a reputation that he had worked very hard to acquire. He loved his work; it made him happy. There had been a time when his work and his friends had been enough. But that was no longer true. Draco was getting older and feeling the need for love, companionship and a family that was truly his own. And somehow all that was tied up with Harry.

He sighed impatiently as thoughts of Harry continued to invade his mind. _Why am I so fixated on him? He's not interested. I should just move on...but I can't...no one else feels right_, he thought and then he cursed himself for being so pathetic. He sat back in his chair and groaned. His back hurt, his legs hurt, his neck was stiff, his head was throbbing. He was exhausted. He knew that he needed to eat something, take a hot bath and get himself to bed. But he couldn't muster the energy to move. So he lay there with his head propped on his arm and his eyes began to close as sleep stole over his weary body.

He was startled awake, just minutes later, by the knock on his door. He sat up blearily and wondered who it was. It was probably one of his friends, come to check on him. He groaned aloud. He had no desire to see anyone, which was why he had closed his Floo, but whoever it was, had chosen not to take the hint. The knocking continued. It was clear that whoever it was, was not about to go away. He heaved himself out of his chair and went to the door and opened it, expecting to see Pansy or Daphne or maybe Theo.

It was Harry.


	6. Chapter 6

prompt #13: Mulled wine

...

"Harry!" Draco stared blankly at the man in front of him.

Harry smiled his usual warm smile, though he seemed a little tentative.

"Is it okay if I come in?" he said, when Draco continued stand in the doorway and stare.

"Yeah. Sure, of course," Draco said and he quickly stepped aside to let Harry in.

Draco continued to stare dumbly as Harry walked into his living room with a large basket in one hand and a bottle in the other. He seemed to be looking around for place to put the bottle because the coffee table in the middle of the room was covered with parchment. Draco flushed with embarrassment as he quickly cleared the coffee table and took the bottle from Harry.

"What's this?" he managed to say.

"Just a bit of mulled wine that I made for us."

Draco's mind got stuck on "us" and he was unable to say or do anything other than reach for the basket that Harry was carrying.

Harry gave it to him with a slightly uncertain smile and said, "And that's dinner. I...cooked for you."

"Oh..." Draco managed this time.

He knew he should say something more, but his mind was completely blank. He had assumed that after hearing about Draco's feelings for him, Harry would do his best to avoid him. _But he's here and he's cooked dinner for me? It doesn't make any sense,_ he thought as he continued to stare bemusedly at Harry who was looking intently at him. Harry had been a bit worried about Draco's reaction on seeing him and he'd gone through a whole lot of scenarios in his mind, but he had never once thought that Draco would be so adorably tongue-tied. He couldn't help the fond smile that crossed his face as he decided to take charge of the situation. He glanced at Draco again and saw how tired he looked.

"You've been working all day, haven't you?" Harry said.

Draco didn't say anything but he coloured and that was answer enough.

"You look exhausted," Harry said. "Why don't you go take a hot bath while I set the table?"

"Um..." was all that Draco managed this time.

"Go on..." Harry said as he put his arms on Draco's shoulders and pushed him towards the stairs.

Draco continued to be embarrassingly speechless. He couldn't possibly have known how endearing Harry found it. He was desperately fighting the urge to wrap Draco in his arms and kiss him thoroughly. He looked so adorably confused.

Draco decided that he had embarrassed himself enough already and that he'd better do as Harry said, if only to get away from him for a bit and get his scattered wits together. So he nodded and went up the stairs and into the bath.

Harry watched him go with a small smile on his face. Then he went into the kitchen and began to get the table ready for dinner.

Draco sat in the bath and felt the tension melt away from him. He had no idea what Harry was doing here and he had no hope of figuring it out. A tiny voice in his head suggested that Harry might be here because he was interested in Draco too, but he squashed that thought immediately. It simply wouldn't do to get his hopes up. But it was no good. The spark of hope had been lit and it was not about to go away.

Draco hurried through his bath, got dressed and came down the stairs. He went into the kitchen...and he was completely taken aback. The table was loaded with dishes and were those scented candles? And the flowers...it was so very beautiful. Harry had done all this for him?


	7. Chapter 7

prompt #7: Candles

...

Harry was standing by the counter. He had a smile on his face, but he looked a bit uncertain, like he wasn't sure how Draco would react.

Draco smiled. He knew just how goofy that smile was, but he couldn't help himself. He walked up to the table and took a good look at everything. He picked up one of the candles and his eyebrows rose in surprise.

"How did you know?" he said.

That question might have confused someone else, but Harry understood exactly what Draco was asking.

"How did I know that these are your favourite candles?"

"Yeah..."

"You told me."

"Really? When?"

"Remember that time, two, maybe three years ago, when we'd gone up to Manchester to watch the Arrows play? We came across this little store on the way to the stadium and..."

"I stopped and bought these candles...I can't believe you still remember that," Draco said. He was obviously very surprised.

Harry shrugged. "Well, I do. Along with every other thing that you've ever said to me...your taste in wine, your favourite books, your favourite food, your favourite places to shop...It seems I remember everything that has anything to do with you."

They stared at each other for a couple of minutes after that. Draco's gaze was searching, probing, looking for answers. Harry was relaxed and open, all his feelings written clearly on his face.

"What are you saying?" Draco said finally.

"I did a lot of thinking last night," Harry said as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I realised that I've fancied you for a long time, even though I didn't know it. Maybe that's why it hurt me so much when you suddenly became distant. I missed you...I felt lost. But I was too stupid to know what it meant."

Draco's lips quirked into a half smile. "Of course you were, Potter," he said teasingly. I can't believe you needed me to point out something as obvious as that."

"See. I need you," Harry said, trying to look as wide eyed and innocent as possible.

Draco chuckled. "Of course you do," he said as he walked up to the counter and drew Harry into his arms. He was so very happy. It felt like his heart might burst out of his chest any minute. As for Harry, he felt like he'd finally come home...


	8. Chapter 8

prompt #24: Holiday baking

...

"You're not just saying and doing all this because you're sorry for me, are you?" Draco said softly as he continued to hold Harry close to him.

"Of course not!" Harry said indignantly.

He lifted his head and brushed his nose against Draco neck, making him moan softly. Harry ran his fingers lightly through Draco's hair drawing a soft mewl of approval from the other man. He tugged ligtly on the blond hair, making Draco look up. And then he kissed him. It was a very soft kiss, just a brush of lips really, but it felt wonderful.

So they kissed again and again and soon Harry had Draco pressed against the counter as he manouvered himself into the space between Draco's legs, kissing him as if his life depended on it. Draco leaned against the counter, feeling the warm weight of Harry's body pressed deliciously against him, as he gave in to that kiss. It was not in his nature to be passive, but there was something about Harry being all decisive and taking charge that turned him on thoroughly. Besides, Harry was trying to show Draco exactly what he felt for him and Draco dearly wanted to know.

They had no idea how long they kissed, but they were both panting and painfully aroused by the time they pulled apart. They held on to each other as they tried to catch their breaths.

"Do you still have any doubts?" Harry said after a minute.

"No. Still feels a bit surreal though."

Harry reached out and caressed Draco cheek, felling the hint of stubble under his fingers.

"You'll get used to it," he said softly. "And soon, you'll be taking me for granted."

"I doubt that. But if I ever make that mistake, promise me you'll hit me upside the head..."

Harry smiled. "Only if you promise to return the favour," he said and they both laughed.

There was combination of joy and relief in that laugh. They had both been alone for so long that it was hard to believe that they had finally found someone to care about. Neither of them was under the illusion that there was anything casual about this...They may only just have got together but they had been friends for nearly four years now and they already cared a great deal about each other.

They sat down to eat after a while and Draco was surprised again by the amount of trouble that Harry had gone to, for spread on the table were all the traditional yule foods: pork roast, sun king soup, wassail, icicle cookies, caraway cakes, cider and of course the mulled wine. Draco took a bite of an icicle cookie and sighed. It was perfect.

"This is amazing!" he said. "I can't believe you made all this for me..."

Harry smiled. He took Draco's hand and kissed it lightly.

"Well, this is our first date. I had to make it special..."


	9. Chapter 9

prompt #15: Family photo

...

_Is this man for real?_ Draco wondered as he stared at Harry from across the table. He leaned across and kissed him lightly on his mouth.

"Do you have any idea how wonderful you are?" he said.

"No," Harry said archly. "You're just going to have to tell that me every day if you want me to believe it."

Draco chuckled. "That's no hardship," he said.

They began to eat. The food was excellent. Draco had known that Harry was fond of cooking, but he'd never had an occasion to sample his food before.

"This is absolutely wonderful," he said as he made his way through the pork roast. He was ravenous. "I can't believe you've never cooked for me before."

"I can't believe it either," Harry said with a shrug. "I guess we just got into the habit of meeting outside..."

They continued to eat and to talk, stopping every now and then to feed each other or to steal a kiss. Neither of them had ever felt this happy and carefree with anyone before. It was strange and yet somehow it was familiar...

It was about an hour later. They had finished their meal and moved to the living room with a glass of mulled wine each.

"Where did you learn to make this?" Draco said.

"Molly taught me."

"It's wonderful," Draco said. "It's exactly like our elves used to make it. It makes me feel so nostalgic."

Harry put his arm around Draco and kissed him lightly on his cheek drawing a contented little sigh from him.

"How come you haven't put up a Christmas tree yet?" Harry said.

"Didn't feel like it..."

"Hmmm...I haven't got one either. Why don't we get them tomorrow?"

"Sure. But let's just get one."

"Why?"

"Because I want us to share the tree and the decorating and..."

"Therefore the Christmas..."

"Yeah."

"'I'd like that."

They finished the wine and stood in front of the fire place watching the fire and the crackling logs and just feeling happy.

Harry noticed a photograph on the mantel. It showed Narcissa Malfoy with a very young Draco. He couldn't have been more than two years old. He was small and plump and ridiculously cute. Narcissa was holding him in his arms and laughing while Draco put his arms around her neck and kissed her on her cheek.

"You're such a pretty little thing!" Harry said, making Draco colour.

"I love this photograph," Draco said. "Makes me happy just to look at it..."

Harry thought of his parents and knew exactly what Draco meant. Just the sight of those photographs, the sight of his parents looking so carefree and smiling so happily at him used to give him strength. But he thought now that he'd spent too much of his life looking backward, thinking about the past and wishing his parents could be there for him, missing everyone he'd lost. It was time to stop doing that. It was time to look forward to creating a family of his own and memories of his own. Maybe it was time for Draco to do that too. And maybe they could do it together...make memories, create new traditions...maybe they could have a Christmas to remember...


	10. Chapter 10

prompt #12: Trimming/decorating the tree

...

Harry and Draco went looking for a Christmas tree the next morning. It took them a while to find it, because they were both set on finding the perfect tree. It was afternoon by the time they Apparated to Harry's house holding the tree between them. They had decided, or rather Draco had decided that they would celebrate Christmas at Harry's home.

"We celebrated Yule at my house," was his logic and Harry was more than happy to go along with it.

They cleared one corner of the living room, right by the large window overlooking the garden and set up the tree. Then they got out all the ornaments and the lights and they began to decorate it. It was so much fun to do it together and to watch the Christmas tree take shape under their hands. Finally they were done. They stepped back so they could see it properly. Their hands found each other as they took in the tree and the window and the spectacular view outside.

Harry lived in the Scottish Highlands and his house was perched right on top of a hill with a gorgeous view of his garden as well as the valley below.

"This is such a beautiful house..." Draco said.

"I know. I spent years looking for the perfect spot."

"Well, you found it. I can't tell you how much I love this place. And it's not just the location or the setting. You've put so much of yourself into designing and decorating this house...it just feels wonderful to be here. It feels like home."

Harry flushed with pleasure as those words and he moved closer to Draco and held him tight as he had a sudden vision of them living together in this house, cooking together, working in the garden, sitting by the window and talking over cups of coffee. They were all very ordinary, very domestic images, but that was what he wanted. He didn't want some high flying romance. He wanted a relationship that was loving, comfortable and domestic. He wanted to share ordinary, everyday things like buying a Christmas tree and decorating it...that was what he had been looking for all this time _and I may just have found it, _he thought as he rested his head against Draco's shoulder and relaxed into his arms.


	11. Chapter 11

prompt #19 : Mistletoe

...

Draco held Harry close and he marvelled at how natural and comfortable it felt. He turned his head and kissed Harry lightly on his forehead, his eyes, his cheeks, his nose, his chin...he watched Harry's breath quicken as he ran his hands up and down his back. Harry almost melted into him when Draco reached for his lips and they began to kiss him in earnest. Harry began to run his fingers through Draco's hair as he wrapped his other hand around Draco's waist. He couldn't believe how wonderful it felt. He felt like he was drowning and soaring all at the same time. Draco in the meantime, was seeing stars. He'd never experienced anything like this before. The sheer intensity of his feelings for Harry scared him somewhat...

Now that the tree was done, they sat down to have a bit of tea and they talked and talked...It was a wonder to them both that they never seemed to run out of things to say. And there was always so much to laugh about. That was the thing that Harry had missed in all the men that he had dated. He couldn't laugh with them or share himself freely, the way he was doing now. He glanced up at Draco who was sitting just inches away from him and sipping his tea with a contented little smile on his face and he realised that this was just the sort of domesticity that he had envisioned earlier...

They finished their tea and decided to hang up the mistletoe. They hung up the sprigs of mistletoe in every single doorway and kissed under each one. They took it all the way from a peck on the cheek at the front door and to an all out snog in the bedroom...they collapsed on the bed in a happy heap of laughter and anticipation. This was going to be a very special Christmas.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I haven't been posting for the last few days because I have been unwell. I'm a lot better now, so I'm back to writing. I had posted chapter 12 last Thursday, but when I went back and read it, I decided that I didn't like it very much and that what I had written was impeding the flow of the story. I guess that's what happens when you write when your head is all fuzzy and you can't think straight:-) So I redid it. Here it is, along with chapter 13 and 14. I'll post 15 and 16 tomorrow and hopefully I'll be all caught up in a couple of days.

...

prompt #6: Holly berries

...

It was the morning of the next day. Harry woke up early. He looked around the room and saw the sprig of mistletoe by the door. He rolled on to his back with a contented little smile as images of the previous day flooded his head. He couldn't believe how happy and light-hearted he felt. _And to think that I was dreading the holidays. _He rolled out of bed, took a quick shower and headed downstairs.

The first thing he saw was the Christmas tree. It was by far the prettiest thing in the house. He looked around the room and saw all the decorations that Draco had insisted on putting up. There was a wreath just above the mantel with bright holly berries hanging from it. It was such a cheerful sight. Harry had never taken holiday decorating seriously before, but somehow, putting all this stuff up had made Christmas seem more real.

He realised with a pang that Draco's house was bare of all this. This wasn't sharing Christmas...not if he was going to be surrounded by this all the time while Draco could only share it when he visited. _I have to do something about that, _he thought. He walked into the kitchen and started making breakfast and he decided on the spur of the moment to cook for Draco too and invite him over. _Maybe I can get him to spend the day with me,_ he thought and he began to hum as he fried the eggs and cooked the bacon and set about making a proper English breakfast.


	13. Chapter 13

prompt #20: Gift wrapping

...

It was the morning of the next day. Draco had spent most of the night thinking about Harry and missing him acutely. He'd got up wondering if it would be too pushy of him to show up at Harry's place first thing in the morning. They had agreed to meet today, but neither of them had mentioned a time and Draco wasn't sure what the etiquette for this sort of thing was, when you had just started dating. Usually, the person he was dating was a stranger, someone he was just getting to know. So he never really had any urge to spend whole days with that person. But this was Harry and Draco had been in love with him for over two years and now that they were finally dating, he didn't want to let go of the man. _But Harry might not feel that way._ _He's only just realised that he likes me, so might like a bit of space,_ he thought as he bathed and dressed and made a vague attempt at making himself breakfast.

He wasn't much of a cook and he cared very little about what he ate or when he ate. He had never been in the habit of eating breakfast, but he'd woken up feeling hungry for some reason, so he'd wandered into the kitchen and he was trying to decide what to make for himself. He was wondering if he could possibly make anything other than boiled egg and toast when he heard the Floo chime. His heart gave an involuntary jump at the thought that it might be Harry. He chastised himself for behaving like a teenage girl with her first crush and then he blushed because a voice in his head murmured unhelpfully that Harry had in fact been his first crush.

He walked into the living room and saw Harry sticking his head out of the green flames. Harry smiled and Draco's heart started doing what felt like the tango and he blushed some more. Harry blinked at the sight of Draco looking all pink cheeked and adorable and he felt his heart twist in the most painfully wonderful way. Neither of them could say anything for a couple of seconds. They just stared goofily at each other. Harry was the first to recover from his daze.

"I've made us some breakfast. Would you...like to come over and share it?" he said. "And then maybe you could join me for a spot of shopping...I haven't bought all my gifts yet and then there's gift wrapping to do and..." Harry trailed off, feeling a bit stupid when Draco didn't react. He began to kick himself for being too forward and too pushy. _Of course Draco has other things to do. Just because we're dating it doesn't mean that he's going to drop everything to come spend time with me..._He was so busy berating himself that he almost didn't hear Draco's almost shy acceptance of that invitation.

"Of course, I will. I'd love to," Draco said.


	14. Chapter 14

prompt #26: Stockings

...

Draco couldn't believe that Harry had invited him to breakfast and pretty much suggested that they spend the rest of the day together. And he had even greater difficulty believing it when he saw the spread that Harry had put up. There was fried eggs and bacon, sausages, black pudding (it was over a decade since Draco had had black pudding for breakfast), baked beans, fried tomatoes and...

"When did you do all this?" he said. He was totally blown away.

"I woke up really early and I had nothing much to do...I know you don't usually eat breakfast, but I just wanted to do something for you..." Harry trailed off feeling embarrassed and a bit nervous. Was he doing too much? After all that was why Brian had broken up with him. He'd said that Harry always did too much and that he felt smothered and that he needed his space and...Harry couldn't help it. It was in his nature to want to take care of the people that he cared about and he had cared a good deal about Brian. It was nearly three years since they'd broken up, but the memory still rankled. He'd been heart-broken when Brian had left and since then he hadn't let himself get close to anyone...until now. Would Draco understand him and appreciate him or would he feel smothered too?

Draco was speechless. All he could do was put his arms around Harry and hold him tight. _I love you so much, Harry,_ he said in his head._ If only you knew. If only i could tell you. _But he couldn't. So he contented himself with holding Harry close and kissing him gently.

"Thank you, Harry. Thank you so very much. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate this and I honestly don't deserve it."

"Of course you do. Besides, it's not much. It's just breakfast, something I do every day."

They sat down to eat and as usual they found plenty to talk about. They talked about Quidditch and politics and the shenanigans of all their friends and then the conversation turned to work. Draco told Harry all about his reasearch, while Harry talked about his latest book. He'd almost finished the first draft.

"There's still an epilogue to do and then I'm going to wrap it up and forget about it for a few days," he said.

"What happens after you're done with the first draft?" Draco asked.

"The first draft is like a blue print, it's very raw. I just put down ideas as they come. Then I let it go for a couple of weeks and when I go back to it and read it, I can see everything that's wrong with it. Characters that work and those that don't. Plot holes, sub plots that I've maybe ignored and dialogue that's just too clunky or situations that simply don't contribute to the story...so I do a rewrite and that's the second draft.

"How many drafts do you go through before you're done?"

"Two or three depending on the book."

"You know writing is the last thing that I expected you to end up doing," Draco said.

"It's the last thing I expected to be doing. My first book was simply an attempt to work out all my issues after the war. I didn't think I was writing a book until I was done. And when Luna insisted on publishing it, I was afraid people would only read it because it said Harry Potter on the book."

"It was a smart move to use a pseudonym, though you have rather left the wizarding world wondering what exactly it is that you do."

"Oh haven't you heard? I contribute to charity occasionally, but otherwise I live the life of a wealthy dilettante."

"Skeeter?"

"Obviously..."

"Hmmm...I'm surprised she knows such big words," Draco said and they both laughed.

"So who do you need to buy gifts for?" Draco asked after a minute.

"I need gifts for Teddy, Andromeda and Pansy. Teddy's easy, but I never know what to get for Andromeda or Pansy. Maybe you can help me there."

"Sure."

"I also want to pick up some Christmas stockings..." Harry said.

Draco raised his eyebrows. He looked amused.

"I've never had a proper Christmas before," Harry said with an indignant pout and Draco melted right there.

He got up, went over to Harry and pulled him to his feet. Then he kissed him softly and said, "Well, you're going to have one now, complete with stockings and Santa Claus and ice skating and sleigh rides and anything else that you want."


	15. Chapter 15

prompt #2: Woolly mittens

...

Harry and Draco set off for Diagon Alley right after breakfast. It was around ten-thirty in the morning and the shops were just opening, but the place was already full of shoppers.

"It's a lot more crowded than I thought it would be," Harry said.

"There are only two days to go before Christmas, so it's to be expected, I suppose."

"Do you have any more gifts to buy?"

"No. I'm all done."

"Of course you are. You would never leave anything to the last-minute. Hermione lectures me about this year after year but I never learn."

"To be fair, I don't have that many people to buy gifts for. You, on the other hand, have a whole raft of Weasleys to think about."

"True."

They made their way through the crowds as inconspicuously as they could, but Harry was quickly spotted and soon one person and then another and another came over to shake his hand and to wish him a Happy Christmas. The people who didn't approach him stood around and stared. Harry rarely went out in public if he could help it and he hated the attention that he got when he did. It never failed to amaze him that twelve years after the war, people were still so interested in him and where he went and who he dated.

He'd lost count of the number of times he'd been named the wizarding world's most eligible bachelor. There had been a furore when everyone found out that he was gay; apparently because that meant that there would be no fairy-tale wedding and no mini Potters to fawn over. Harry didn't see why he couldn't have the fairy-tale wedding just because he would be marrying a man and he certainly intended to adopt a whole bunch of kids..._when I find the right man_, he used to tell himself. Glancing up at Draco now, he felt hopeful for the first time in years.

"Where do you want to go first?" Draco said as he put his arm around Harry protectively and steered him away from the gawking crowd. Harry leaned into him gratefully.

"Quality Quidditch," he said. "I promised Teddy a broomstick if he made it to the team."

"Which one are you going to get? The Flyer 250 or the Firebolt 5?"

"The Flyer is the better broom, but he insisted on the Firebolt."

"He wants to be like you huh?"

"I suppose."

They got into Quality Quidditch and got the broom; then they went looking for gifts for Pansy and Andromeda. It took a while, but Harry finally had everything he wanted, other than the stockings. They went to 'Terry and Mason's' to pick them up. There were making their way out of the store when Harry spotted a pair of woolly mittens. They were red and gold and they had the image of a lion on them.

"Teddy will absolutely love these," he said as he picked them up.

"That's what the fourth gift you've bought for him today? No wonder the kid dotes on you."

"Do you think I'm spoiling him?" Harry asked a bit anxiously.

"Of course not! I was just teasing. Teddy's a good kid and Aunt Andi is plenty strict with him. He needs a God-father who'll spoil him silly."

"I just want to make him happy," Harry said simply.

"I know. So are we done?"

"Yeah. I think that's it."

"So can I take you out to lunch?" Draco said in a tone that implied a lot more than it said.

Harry flushed. "Of course," he said.

They got out of the store and shrunk all the packages.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked.

"You'll see," Draco said as he wrapped his arms around Harry and Disapparated.


	16. Chapter 16

prompt #4: Ribbons

...

They landed softly on a snow-covered street. Harry looked around in confusion for a moment and then his brow cleared and he smiled broadly.

"We're in Wales! This is..." he hesitated for a second as he tried to recall the name of the town. This was where he'd run into Draco for the first time after they'd connected at Pansy and Neville's wedding. Draco had been here to collect some rare wood for his research on wand magic and Harry had been there collecting material for a story. "Bryn offa! That's right. How long has it been? Four, five years now?"

"Just over four years, I think. Do you remember that little..."

"Restaurant where we ran into each other? Of course I do! It was the first time we ever had lunch together. This is where we became friends...I can't believe you brought me here. Do you have any idea how romantic this is?"

Draco blushed. He'd never thought of himself as romantic. In fact he'd often been told that he was a bit lacking in that area. So it was nice to see that his little bit of thoughtfulness had pleased Harry so much.

"I can't believe you did this!" Harry said as he wrapped his arms around Draco and proceeded to smother him with kisses.

Harry pulled away after a couple of minutes and looked intently at Draco. "Thank you," he said. "Meeting you here that day was...It's one of my happiest memories."

"Mine too...Now let's go find that restaurant."

"It was such a quaint little place and they had such amazing food. Do you remember that Cawl and that Bara Brith?"

"Oh yeah. It was the best I ever had. I came back here a few more times after that and..." Draco broke off when the saw the look of mock indignation on Harry's face.

"You came here without me?! I can't believe you cheated on me!" Harry said and Draco burst out laughing.

"And you're actually laughing?"

"It was just a couple of times, Harry. I swear I won't do it again."

"That is what all cheater's say!" Harry tried to keep a straight face, but he couldn't.

They collapsed against each other in fits of helpless laughter. But through all that they knew how precious this moment was. How rare and wonderful it was to find someone you can laugh with and be silly with...

"I'm having the best day," Harry said when he finally got a hold of himself.

"Me too. Now come here," Draco said, as he put his arm around Harry and drew him close. Harry leaned into Draco with a contented little smile, even as Draco held him like he was the most precious thing in the world.

The found the restaurant at the end of the street. It looked exactly the same as it had all those years ago. Only now there was a wreath on the door with red ribbons on it. They walked in the door and saw a Christmas tree in one corner and sprigs of Holly and Mistletoe everywhere. But other than that, it was the same, rustic old place with old-fashioned furniture and the heavy drapes and a whole bunch of wonderful smells wafting out of the kitchen. They ordered the same meal that they had all those years ago and they relived an old memory even as they created a new one.


	17. Chapter 17

prompt #9: comforter/blanket

...

It was late afternoon by the time they got back home. Draco made them tea while Harry spread out all the gifts and got out the wrapping paper. They spent the next couple of hours wrapping all the gifts while drinking copious amounts of tea and making plans for Christmas.

"We need to tell our friends about us," Harry said. "And Andi and Teddy too. How do you think Teddy will take it?"

"I think he'll be fine. He knows we're both gay and I'm sure he likes me enough to share his precious God-father with me."

"Of course he does. He's coming over tomorrow. He wants to make snowmen and go ice-skating and eat lots of chocolate and a whole lot of other things besides. He was talking so fast last night I could barely understand him."

"He's such a bundle of energy. He can run me ragged in just a couple of hours."

"Oh me too. Good thing we'll both be dealing with him tomorrow." Harry tried to keep his tone casual, but Draco caught the hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Of course I'll come spend the day with you and Teddy. I'd love to."

"Good."

They finished the gifts, made a simple dinner and settled down to watch a movie. It was nice to be sitting on the couch, snuggled up under the blanket, with their arms about each other, watching the movie, arguing over the characters and the plot..._just like an old married couple,_ Harry thought. That was the best thing about this relationship with Draco. It didn't feel new. It felt as if they had already been together for a couple of years...it felt comfortable. Draco was thinking the same thing as he ran his fingers through Harry's hair and sneaked glances at him every now and then. He was more interested in watching Harry than in watching the movie. He was fascinated by the way Harry's expressions changed in response to the story on the screen...

Finally the movie was done and Draco got up to leave. He kissed harry good-night and walked up to the fire-place. Harry didn't want him to go. So he went up to Draco and hugged him from behind.

"Stay..." he said softly.


	18. Chapter 18

prompt #14: snow by lantern light

...

"Stay..." Harry said softly.

That was all that Draco needed to hear. He turned around and put his arms around Harry. They looked at each other for a long moment. There was no need to say anything. They leaned into each other and their lips met in an agonisingly beautiful kiss. This was not a playful kiss or a lustful one, even. It was an intense desire to connect and to be close to each other...a need to affirm that this was real.

They continued to kiss as they ran their hands over each other. Their bodies began to thrum with energy and desire. They moved to the couch as if in a dream. Harry lay on his back with Draco on top of him. They continued to kiss as they shrugged out of their clothes, gasping when they were finally skin to skin. They explored each other's bodies, touching with a tenderness the neither of them had ever experienced before.

They moved against each other as if in a dance, their bodies perfectly aligned and all their senses overwhelmed until they collapsed against each other, feeling sated, spent and intensely happy.

They lay on the couch for a long time, holding each other close and watching the snowfall. It looked so pretty as it glowed in the warm light of the lantern hanging outside the window. Neither of them said anything much. There was no need to, really.


	19. Chapter 19

prompt #17: Reindeer

...

Harry was in the middle of a fairly spectacular dream when he was disturbed by the sound of tapping on his window. He stirred reluctantly but he didn't open his eyes. He didn't want to. A few minutes later he felt a warm hand on his shoulder and he heard Draco call his name.

_Draco!_ All the memories of the previous day came rushing back. Harry opened his eyes and he saw Draco leaning over him.

"Wake up, Harry. There's something you need to see." Draco looked a bit concerned.

"What is it?" Harry said as he quickly sat up.

He saw a pile of letters in the middle of the bed.

"What's all this?" he asked, feeling bewildered.

Draco didn't answer. He dug through the pile of letters and picked a copy of _'The Prophet'_ and handed it to Harry.

Harry opened the paper and his jaw fell open. The entire upper half of the front page was taken up by a photo of Harry and Draco. The headline said: THE SAVIOUR AND HIS NEW LOVE INTEREST. Below that was a picture of the two of them standing by the window at Glenda's in Diagon Alley. Harry had a toy reindeer in his hand and he was looking up at Draco. Draco had his arm around Harry's shoulder. Their faces were just inches away from each other and they were both smiling. They looked absolutely smitten with each other.

"We've been outed..." Harry sounded dazed.

"And how."

"Saves us the trouble of telling everyone I guess."

Draco was surprised. "I didn't expect you to be so cool about it," he said.

"They've reported the truth for once. Besides, I'm proud of you, so I don't care who knows."

Draco nodded. "Same here," he said.

Harry turned to the paper again. "Just look at us," he said after a minute.

"We look good together," Draco said.

They looked at each other for a long minute.

Harry finally dragged his attention away from Draco and picked up the stack of letters.

"Our friends?"

"Yeah. Only about four of these are mine. The rest are yours."

Harry sighed and started reading the letters. They all had pretty much the same thing to say. _Why have you been hiding your relationship from us? When did you two get together? You look so happy! Open your damn Floo!_ and so on.

"We'd better talk to them."


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Once again I have fallen behind on this story. The holidays got me this time. But I intend to finish it, so I'm going to post part 20, 21 and 22 today. Hopefully I'll manage to do enough writing to finish this story by the 31st. Fingers crossed.

...

Prompt #28: Ice-skating

...

"I thought they'd never leave!" Harry said with a huff as he came out on to the back porch and joined Draco who was watching Teddy ice-skate on a makeshift skating rink that he had conjured for him.

"How many Christmas dinners did we get invited to?" Draco drawled as he put his arm around Harry's waist and drew him close. Harry sighed as he rested his head against Draco's shoulder.

"Four," he said. "Molly, Luna, Hermione and Pansy...they all wanted us to join them for Christmas."

"Nice to know that we're popular. What did you say?"

"Nothing. They started arguing before I could say anything."

Draco chuckled. "Who won?"

"Nobody. I told them we want to spend Christmas here, just the two of us. Ron and Neville started arguing with me but Hermione and Pansy thought it was really romantic so that was that. Molly got a bit misty-eyed and said she was so glad I was settling down at last and Luna said that it was obvious from the wrackspurts flying about my head that I'm very happy and that you are the person I've been looking for all my life..." Harry's voice dropped a little as he said those words.

He was merely reporting Luna's words but it was something he'd been thinking about as well and he was sure that Draco could tell. He flushed and stared at the ground, embarrassed at having revealed so much.

"Well, am I?" Draco asked in a soft voice as he cupped Harry's cheek and made him look up. Harry was surprised to see the intensity in Draco's eyes as he asked the question. He realised then he wasn't the only one who had been thinking that he'd found something precious in this relationship.

So he answered Draco's question honestly. "I think so, yes," he said.

"Good. Because I'm not about to let you go anytime soon...or ever," Draco said and then he leaned forward and drew Harry into a kiss.


	21. Chapter 21

prompt #22: Snowman.

...

"Eeeew!" Teddy said and Harry and Draco jumped apart looking guilty and abashed. They hadn't noticed him come up behind them.

"Sorry," Harry said.

"It's okay. Just don't do it in front of me again," Teddy said, his face as all scrunched up and serious.

"Sorry. We didn't realise you were here," Draco said.

The boy nodded and then he looked at the two men intently for a minute.

"You look...happy," he said.

"We are."

"Good," he said seriously. Then he put his arms around the two of them and gave them a quick hug.

"Now let's go. It's time to make a snowman," Teddy said and he walked over to the front of the house and started to gather the snow.

Harry and Draco followed and they spent the afternoon making snowmen of various sizes and shapes in between cups of coffee and hot cocoa accompanied by generous helpings of cake and all sorts of cookies.

They trudged into the house hours later, feeling cold and stiff after all that work, but they were very satisfied indeed. Draco marched Teddy into the bathroom and made sure he took a long hot shower, while Harry made them all a bit of soup. They had a quiet dinner and then Teddy flooed home to his grandmother. Harry and Draco promised to meet him in the morning so they could all open their gifts together.


	22. Chapter 22

Prompt #25: Family traditions

...

Harry and Draco tumbled into bed minutes after Teddy left. They were too tired to do anything other than share a lazy kiss and snuggle up to each other before they fell asleep. _That is the best thing about this relationship,_ Draco thought as he tightened his hold on Harry and settled more comfortably in the crook of his arm. _Just being with Harry is enough to make me happy._

"Mmmm...This is nice," Harry mumbled as he shifted a little so he could rest his chin on the top of Draco's head and drifted off to sleep.

Harry was the first to wake up the next morning. He was lying on his back while Draco lay on his side, his face just inches away from Harry. Draco was still asleep. His blond hair was splayed across the pillow and his face was relaxed into a smile. Harry felt his hear swell with emotion at the sight of him. He ran his fingers through the soft blond hair, marvelling at how soft it was. He caressed Draco's cheek and then he leaned forward and kissed him lightly on his lips.

Draco's eyes fluttered open and then...he smiled. It was such a beautiful smile. Harry could almost feel his heart doing cartwheels inside his chest.

"Happy Christmas, Draco" Harry said softly.

"Happy Christmas, love," Draco responded in a sleep roughened voice which made Harry catch his breath even as the sound of that endearment slipping so easily from Draco made him want to grab him and smush him and kiss him stupid.

So that is what he did. He kissed Draco thoroughly, revelling in all the little moans and the gasps he made as Harry ran his hands up and down his body, touching and stroking and teasing until Draco simply couldn't take it anymore. He flipped them over with a growl and proceeded to kiss his way down Harry's body making Harry feel as if he was melting into the mattress. When Draco finally eased into Harry it was not a moment too soon. Harry gasped and moaned and grasped Draco's arms tight as they moved and to a rhythm that was slowly becoming familiar. Draco felt as if his heart was going to explode as he looked down at Harry who was smiling up at him and he knew that this was forever. At least for him. There would never be anyone else for him.

Harry reached out and caressed Draco's cheek, feeling like the luckiest bastard in the world. _Luna was right. This is the man I have been waiting for all my life_, he thought as he came with a shout. Draco followed just moments later and he collapsed on top of Harry, nuzzling contentedly against him as Harry wrapped his hands around him and kissed the top his head.

"This is definitely going to be one of our Christmas traditions," Harry said after a minute.

"A shag on Christmas morning?"

"Yeah and one more in the afternoon and maybe another couple tonight..." Harry said.

Draco chuckled. "Randy bastard," he mumbled.

"I can't help it. You're one hell of a brilliant shag," Harry said.

That made Draco look up. "I'm a brilliant shag? Have you seen your arse lately? Do you have any idea how delectable it is?" he said and then he began to run his hands suggestively down Harry's body.

Harry laughed. "And I'm the randy bastard," he said as he leaned into the touch and moaned appreciatively making Draco feel as if he was going to spontaneously combust if he didn't have Harry NOW.


	23. Chapter 23

Prompt #18: Christmas with the family

...

Teddy was waiting for them when Harry and Draco stumbled out of the Floo and into Andromeda's living room. They were a touch out of breath and slightly dishevelled. Andromeda smiled knowingly at them. But Teddy was too excited about his presents to notice anything amiss. They settled into their places around the tree and watched him open his first present. It was a book about dragons that Draco had got him. Teddy was crazy about dragons and he'd wanted this particular book for a long time. He leaped at Draco and hugged him tight, thanking him effusively.

"It's okay kiddo. I love buying you gifts," Draco said as he patted Teddy on his head.

Then he opened Harry's gift. He knew what it was already, and yet he was breathless with anticipation as he tore the wrapping paper away to reveal the firebolt.

"It is gorgeous!" he exclaimed as he flung himself at his god-father. "Thank you, Harry. Thank you so much."

He calmed down after a bit and then he wanted to go flying. Harry and Draco had anticipated this and they had brought their brooms along so they went into the garden and spent the morning playing a series of seekers games. Teddy was a seeker too, a fact that he was very proud of and it was real thrill to play against Harry and Draco who despite everything were still very competitive when it came to Quidditch.


	24. Chapter 24

prompt #1: In a snowy forest

...

It was mid morning by the time Harry and Draco got back home. _Harry's home_, Draco reminded himself. He'd only been living there two days now (Harry had insisted that he stay until Christmas) and already he'd started to think of it as home. He looked around as they walked in the door and he couldn't help but smile. It was a warm and happy place and it had Harry's personality all over it. _No wonder I love it,_ Draco thought. His own house had never felt like a home. He'd lost that the day his mother had died.

He hadn't been able to live in Malfoy manor after that. So he'd bought a house in London. He'd been living there for nearly three years now, but he hadn't really done anything to make it his own. Somehow it had become nothing more than a place to work and a place to sleep. But Harry had put his very soul into this place and Draco couldn't help but feel at home here. _But I shouldn't get too comfortable_, he told himself as he joined Harry who was standing by the Christmas tree, waiting to open his presents.

They opened their presents from everyone else first, saving each other's gifts for the end. Draco had got Harry five gifts and Harry had reciprocated with six. Harry looked at his stack of beautifully wrapped gifts and said, "Which one should I open first?"

Draco pointed to the smallest of them all. It was a square box wrapped in shiny green paper which had a red snitch zooming across it. Harry unwrapped the paper carefully. He wanted to save it as a memory of his first Christmas with Draco. He was a bit embarrassed by his sentimentality, _but I can't help it, _he thought_. __This is who I am._

He peeled the paper off and found a small box inside. He opened it and he caught his breath for inside the box was the prettiest Christmas tree ornament that he had ever seen. He drew it out. It felt heavy and warm in his hand. He held it up to the light and his breath caught again. Inside the globe was a mini forest, with miniature trees of different shapes and sizes. The floor of the forest was covered with snow that glowed blue and white and there was a gentle snowfall...the flakes glowed silver in one angle and blue in the other. It was stunning and clearly it had some complex magic built into it.

"It is exquisite," Harry breathed.

Draco let out his breath on a whoosh. "I'm glad you like it," he said softly.

"It's incredible. I love it!" Harry said as he turned it round and round. "Where did you get this?"

"I found that in Glenda's the other day and I charmed it to snow and to change colours. I wanted you...to have something like this to...you know remember our first Christmas together...I had this thought. It's probably silly," Draco said and he shook his head, looking a bit nervous and embarrassed. Harry reached for his hand and squeezed it, silently encouraging him to go on.

"I thought I'd get you one like this every year that we're together and...one day you'd have a collection and..." He trailed off looking flushed and a bit uncomfortable._ I can't believe how sappy that sounded,_ he said to himself as he stared at the floor, hoping that Harry wouldn't laugh at him.

Laughter was the last thing on Harry's mind. He raised Draco's hand to his lips and kissed it softly. Draco looked up. Harry pulled him into a hug and held him tight.

"That is the sweetest, most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me," he said.

He drew back. He cupped Draco's face in his hands and said, "I'm going to hold you to that promise. I'm going to expect one new ornament every Christmas until I have so many that we'll need at least three Christmas trees to fit them all."

Draco couldn't help the way his heart swooped and danced at Harry's unspoken assertion that they were going to be together for many years to come.

"It's a deal," he said.


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: Real life has been overwhelming lately and I've been struggling with writer's block which is why this chapter is as late as it is. I had seven prompts left but hard as I tried, I couldn't make them work. So I stopped trying. This is the final chapter. I wish I could've used all the prompts, but right now I'm just glad I finished this story.

...

It was close to midnight. Christmas was almost over and Harry and Draco sat by the window in the living room watching the snowfall. Draco was sitting with his back to the wall while Harry sat between his legs with his head resting on Draco's shoulder. Draco had his arms around Harry and he was tracing lazy circles on his stomach. They sat together enveloped in a comfortable silence, neither needing to say anything.

They'd had a wonderful day and now it was almost over. Tomorrow it would be time for them to get back to their normal lives and neither of them wanted that, not exactly. Draco did want to get back to work and Harry needed to get back to his book, but the thought of not being in the same house all the time was not a happy one. They had been living together in Harry's house for three days now and it had felt so natural and comfortable. They had both been lonely for so long that it was difficult not to hold on to each other.

But neither of them knew how the other felt about it and they were both afraid to broach the subject. So they sat together in silence long past midnight and then they made love in front of the fire-place. It was slow and tender and incredibly special. They lay in each other's arms for a long while after that, feeling warm and sated and simply enjoying the quiet and the closeness. That was what the two of them needed the most, the closeness and the connection that they felt when they were together.

"I love you," Draco whispered.

"I love you too," Harry said. He ran his fingers through Draco's hair. "Only we could manage to fall in love in just five days," he murmured.

"Only we would take four years and five days to admit that we've been in love all along," Draco returned.

Harry chuckled. "Well, since you've successfully established that we've been in love for years now, I guess I can ask you to move in with me without feeling like I'm rushing things," he said. He kept his voice light but there was a hint of trepidation in it.

Draco was stunned. But he managed not to show it. "I never had any intention of leaving," he said airily. "I like this place too much."

"Well, I like it too, but it feels so much nicer when you're here," Harry said, startling Draco again with his honesty.

"Well, in that case, I'm never going to leave."

And he didn't. He spent the next month building a lab for himself in Harry's basement, while Harry converted one of the spare bedrooms into Draco's office. They both had a few concerns about this new arrangement, but they knew they wanted to be together so they forged ahead. And once everything was done, their lives fell into an easy rhythm. They spent long hours working in their respective corners of the house, just happy in the knowledge that they were in the same space, that neither of them was alone anymore.

They spent long evenings cooking and eating, talking far into the night as they opened their hearts to each other, sharing everything that they were...it was the best sort of companionship and the best kind of love.

It was not as if they didn't fight. They fought on the morning of their wedding day, in fact. But neither of them could stay angry with the other for too long. And the make up sex was always spectacular. So they turned up late for their own wedding, looking a bit scruffy and rough around the edges. But no one cared. They just made a few jokes and teased them a little. It was the best day of their lives, or so they thought. They would look back years later and realise that that had only been the beginning...

...

A/N: Well that's it. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did:-)


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